The Arena Seminar 2017

Arena is pleased to announce details of the 2017 Arena Seminar. The Seminar has become established as a major weekend event in the photographic calendar. The Seminar brings together a first-class group of speakers and photography enthusiasts for a weekend of lectures, discussion and the opportunity to share inspirational photography.

This year we are pleased to announce another excellent line-up of speakers: Ben Hall, Alixandra Fazzina, Adrian Dennis, Stuart Franklin, Alan Hayward and Vanda Ralevska.

In addition to the lectures we will be running the hugely popular ‘Print Walk’ where guests can show their work to other delegates, and also the well-received ‘Arena Print Raffle’ together with an opportunity to visit the Fotospeed stand.

We are pleased to be returning to the Riviera Hotel in Bournemouth once more where we can look forward to the excellent service and facilities that we have enjoyed on previous seminars. Also, prices to attend the Seminar have been held at the 2016 cost!

Seminar Speakers 2017

This year we are pleased to announce another excellent line-up of speakers: Ben Hall, Alixandra Fazzina, Adrian Dennis, Stuart Franklin, Alan Hayward and Vanda Ralevska.

Ben Hall

Ben is one of the UK’s foremost wildlife photographers and is represented by Getty Images,
Alamy and the RSPB. Specialising in bird and mammal photography, he is motivated by the
desire to protect Britain’s last fragile ecosystems. His stunning images have won many
international awards and he was also named Geographical Photographer of the Year in 2009.

As well as regularly contributing to both wildlife and photographic journals, he has appeared
many times on TV, including ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ and ‘Countryfile’.

Alixandra Fazzina

Alixandra is an independent photojournalist focusing on under-reported conflicts and overlooked human consequences of war and displacement. Of herself she says, “I’m not the photographer who chases after the bombs, I am more interested in why they happen and what happens to the victims”.

She has worked tirelessly in the most challenging and dangerous countries in the world, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bosnia. Her work has been recognised by the UN High Commission for Refugees with the prestigious Nansen Refugee Award for her dedicated and fearless coverage of the suffering that would otherwise be ignored.

Adrian Dennis

A staff sports photographer for Agence France-Presse for the past 16 years, Adrian worked previously with The Independent. Among many highly prestigious awards, he was named Sports Photographer of the Year in 2012 and 2014 by his peers at the Sports Journalists’ Association.

Capturing a wide variety of sports, he has photographed many of the world’s major events including the FIFA World Cup, the Ryder Cup, World Athletic Championships, Rugby World Cup, Wimbledon Tennis Championships, London Olympics and, most recently, the Rio Games.

Stuart Franklin

Stuart has been a member of the great Magnum Photo Agency since 1985, including a 3-year term as its President. As a photojournalist he covered major events around the world, from the Middle East and Africa to Northern Ireland and the Heysel Stadium disaster.

Perhaps he is best known for his highly acclaimed series taken during the uprising and subsequent massacre in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, which included the iconic ‘tank man’ image. More recently he has concentrated on magazine feature photography, particularly for National Geographic, and long-term book projects.

Alan Hayward

A freelance photographer and past Chairman of Arena, Alan’s personal work is inspired by wild and remote places, and the diversity and mystery of the natural world. He combines a life-long enthusiasm for art with his science background, and his meditative approach and sense of connectedness with nature are, for him, vital experiences.

Drawing particularly on colour, pattern and texture, his thought provoking images draw attention to a fundamental orderliness that underlies the apparent chaos of natural phenomena. They examine the essence of the subjects he photographs.

Vanda Ralevska

Vanda is a passionate landscape photographer who seeks to capture the fleeting moments of magic that transform our world into something extraordinary. Seeking an emotional response she is inspired by the sea and its infinite power and uncontrollable energy; by the quieter scenes and intimate details; and the ever-changing moods of our natural world.

Her work has been published and exhibited at home and abroad, and she has received awards in the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition. She is also co-founder of the worldwide online community “Landscapes by Women”.

The aims of Arena are to promote the highest standards of photography, to encourage print-making, to show and discuss new work and new photographers, to invite speakers who excel in their photographic and artistic fields and to promote constructive debate.